Geno Smith-DK Metcalf TD, 1st defense stars, Uchenna Nwosu hurt in Seahawks’ preseason win

Geno Smith with Ryan Grubb’s new offense looked regular-season ready.

Mike Macdonald’s starting defense again starred, even while continuing to hide much of what the new coach will have it do when the games get real.

The battles to start at right guard and to be the third running back stayed interesting.

A forgotten veteran receiver and kick returner made a move to stay on the team.

But two veterans got hurt. That included Seattle’s $45 million linebacker and one of the key players to this season of renewal.

Smith to DK Metcalf on a leaping, 21-yard touchdown, Kenny McIntosh’s 56-yard touchdown run and Dee Eskridge’s turning, 73-yard score on a punt return highlighted the Seahawks’ 37-33 victory over the Cleveland Browns in the final of three preseason games Saturday night at Lumen Field.

Grubb’s offense, barely showing the formations, pre-snap motions and plays it will in the regular season, averaged a hefty 9.1 yards per play in Seattle’s 24-point first half.

Asked after this game if his team is ready for the season that begins Sept. 8 against Denver, Macdonald said: “I think we’re right where we should be. We’re not the team that we need to be yet, but it’s still early.

“The important part is us to keep taking the steps we need to take. That’s going to be the focus here as the team starts to declare itself this week.”

The NFL deadline to cut the 90-man roster to the first regular-season one of 53 players is Tuesday.

“Whatever happens in the Denver game, it’s going to be the same mentality from that all the way through game 17. And into the playoffs.”

Yes, Seattle’s new coach, the youngest coach in the NFL at age 37, said playoffs.

Will Uchenna Nwosu be ready for the season.

Seattle’s top pass rusher from 2022 returning strongly from a season-ending torn pectoral last October injured his left knee on the defensive starters’ first and only drive Saturday. Cleveland starting guard Wyatt Teller illegally chop blocked Nwosu in the knee, and got a 15-yard penalty for it.

Yes, chop-blocking in a preseason game.

Macdonald said late Saturday night he did not yet know the severity of Nwosu’s injury.

“Not sure yet. We’ll get it looked at (Sunday),” Macdonald said. “We’ll probably know more in the next couple days.”

Asked if Teller’s block was a “football play,” or something borderline, Macdonald said: “I don’t really want to comment on it. Seemed like an obvious penalty.”

The injury happened was one snap after Nwosu got called for roughing the passer after Browns backup quarterback Jameis Winston (starter Deshaun Watson didn’t play) threw incomplete into the arm of Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe.

Nwosu went into the medical-observation tent behind the team’s bench. He then came out and got his left knee wrapped in ice. After about 20 minutes sitting on the bench and talking to a team doctor, Nwosu went into the locker room with a couple of assistants.

Geno Smith’s start

Smith had watched backup Sam Howell start the first two preseason games. Macdonald and Grubb wanted Smith to get game reps running the new offense before the season opener Sept. 8 against Denver.

Grubb, the new offensive coordinator and play caller from the national-finalist Washington Huskies, had Smith throwing on all five of his only plays Saturday. Smith was wide of Metcalf on a short pass to the left sideline on his first play.

Then the Pro Bowl QB in his two seasons as Seattle’s starter was perfect.

Smith threw an exquisite ball over the shoulder of a closely guarding cornerback onto the hands of Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 25-yard gain to the Cleveland 37 on his second play.

He threw a check-down pass while getting hit, to running back Kenny McIntosh; McIntosh started with Kenneth Walker resting and Zach Charbonnet preserving a tight back. After a 7-yard completion to Smith-Njigba, Smith saw Metcalf lined up in man coverage on the left sideline, three inches taller than Cleveland cornerback Justin Hardee Sr.

The starting offense gained 62 yards on the five plays to the seven points.

“Made some great throws. Seemed decisive,” Macdonald said.

“Plan was to do a couple series. I think we saw enough after I think a good five plays.”

The starting offense

Smith started behind most of what will be the starting offensive line for the opener Sept. 8.

The left tackle was Charles Cross, with Laken Tomlinson at left guard. The center was Olu Oluwatimi. Right guard Anthony Bradford was beside right tackle George Fant.

Coaches expect recently signed Connor Williams to start at center in the opener. They are pacing him up to full participation one week into his return from a torn ACL and reconstructive knee surgery in December, when he started for Miami .

Bradford and rookie third-round pick Christian Haynes alternated this week as the starting right guard. The competition for that starting job continues.

“We’ll know in the next couple days,” Macdonald said.

The starting wide receivers Saturday were Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo.

Brady Russell started at tight end. Number-one tight end Noah Fant and number two Pharaoh Brown remain out.

Sam Howell accurate

Howell, the Washington Commanders starter last season acquired in a spring trade, entered at quarterback for Seattle’s second possession. He completed 6 of 9 passes for 45 yards with a sack.

Howell rallied from a noticeably inaccurate first week of training camp to play well in the preseason games. He finished the preseason 33 for 50 passing (66%, above his career average of 63.2%), with 328 yards, two touchdown throws, zero turnovers and a passer rating of 97.75. He was sacked five times in three games.

If this season to the Seahawks’ plans, these preseason games plus training-camp practices are what the team will be judging Howell on this time next year. That’s under the assumption Smith doesn’t get hurt and starts all 17 regular-season games again.

The contracts for both the 33-year-old Smith and the 23-year-old Howell end after the 2025 season.

The starting defense

The starting defense Saturday night was close to the unit that will start the opener against Denver in 15 days.

The linemen were Leonard Williams and Johnathan Hankins. The linebackers were Boye Mafe and Nwosu outside, Tyrel Dodson and rookie Tyrice Knight inside.

The cornerbacks were Devon Witherspoon on the left, Riq Woolen right. The safeties were Julian Love and K’Von Wallace. Artie Burns was the nickel cornerback on the first snap.

Burns was injured in the first quarter. He left the field into the locker room on the back of a cart, holding his foot.

Burns started because Tre Brown missed the game with an injury. Macdonald said Friday Brown was likely to practice this coming week.

The starting defense allowed 5 net yards and one first down on six plays.

For the preseason, Seattle’s defense that ranked 30th in the NFL last season allowed 12 yards on 12 plays.

That’s why Macdonald, the former coordinator of Baltimore’s NFL-best defense, is here.

“Overall, good. The energy was there. Execution was solid,” Macdonald said of the starters on defense Saturday. “We had the penalty on the third down, which is a little bit of a theme of the night, which is something we need to clean up moving forward. It was good to get the stop after we gave up the penalty.”

Dee Eskridge, at the 11th hour

Eskridge has done little this preseason. He’s done little for the team since Seattle drafted him in the second round in 2021, its first pick that year. The NFL suspended him for the start of last season , for an incident involving a woman. His roster spot for this season seems to be in jeopardy.

Saturday, at perhaps the 11th hour of his Seahawks career, Eskridge did something.

He fielded a Browns punt late in the second quarter on the left. He stopped and cut right. He out-ran would-be tacklers across the field, then cut up the field. His sprint went 73 yards the end zone for a touchdown.

That gave Seattle a 24-10 lead.

“He’s capable of making plays like that. That’s the type of player he is,” Macdonald said. “Proud of Dee. He’s worked his tail off to put himself in a good position here. He should be proud of himself.”

After Eskridge scored, every Seahawks player came off the sideline and met him on the field, by the yard-line numbers. They surrounded him and pounded him on the helmet and back to celebrate.

“It was a powerful moment,” Eskridge said. “Just to feel the embrace of the full team. It’s been a rocky road...

“I was floating, literally, as they picked me up. It was nothing short of a blessing.”

Undrafted rookie Dee Williams had been surging ahead of Eskridge for a roster spot as a punt and kickoff returner.

That is, before Eskridge’s play.

Cody White, again

Every day, practice and games, receiver Cody White makes plays in a push to make the team.

Last weekend he deftly reached away from the defender down the seam for a 33-yard catch late in the first half at Tennessee. White’s catch and run set up a final-play field goal by Jason Myers.

Saturday White, the fifth-year NFL veteran who has played in 16 career games, mostly on special teams two years ago for Pittsburgh, did it again. He caught Sam Howell’s long pass down the left sideline midway through the second quarter, lowered his shoulder and zoomed past Cleveland cornerback Justin Hardee Sr. White sprinted for a 73-yard touchdown — that got called back.

Haynes got penalized for holding on the play. That won’t help him in his battle with Bradford to start at right guard.

Third running back competition

McIntosh’s dash up the middle then left for the touchdown in the second quarter was the best play this preseason for the team’s seventh-round pick in 2023. His pass blocking had been poor early this month. But in the first half he was stout blocking a Cleveland blitzer off the edge. That allowed Howell to escape trouble and scramble to the sideline.

Rookie free agent George Holani’s blocking was why he passed McIntosh as the third running back behind Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet at times in training camp. Holani, from Boise State, cut sharply for runs of 8, 18 and 5 yards on a Seahawks drive in the third quarter. That got the ball to the 1-yard line.

Holani ran in from there for the touchdown. Seattle’s lead increased to 34-20.

Tyler Lockett rests (again)

Tyler Lockett did not play in any of the three preseason games.

He’s missed the last week and half, including the joint practices in Nashville last week, with a leg issue.

The 10th-year veteran wide receiver warmed up in full pads before the game. He is on track to start the season opener Sept. 8 against Denver.

Jamie Sheriff shines

The undrafted rookie from South Alabama, a former junior-college walk-on the Seahawks released this spring and brought back this month, had two more sacks Saturday. One was on fourth down in the fourth quarter. It set up Jason Myers’ third field goal, from 51 yards, for a 37-26 Seattle lead.

Sheriff, who was working as a beer deliverer before the Seahawks called him back this month, had a sack and seven pressures of the quarterback in his first two preseason games.

“He’s a guy that really stood out during the rookie tryout,” Macdonald said. “Just kind of the message with all the guys: If there’s not a spot for you right now, we’re still invested in your growth and development.

“To his credit, he didn’t skip a beat since he’s been here. He should be proud of the way he played.”